The end of summer

Sad to report that summer officially ends for me today! The kids are headed back to the sitters house first thing tomorrow morning! I will be heading to school to do some things in my classroom for the next two days before we officially report back on Wednesday! I have had an amazing summer and stayed really busy, but I am excited to get back to work!

Celebrating 80's style!

On Friday, Chad and I attended our friend's 30th birthday.....80's style! Thank you so much to Grandma Donna for babysitting late night for us! We had such a blast! I had been preparing my costume all week, dressing as Madonna! Chad went as Rick Allen, the one armed drummer from Def Leopard, and yes those are my shorts! The birthday boy dressed as Prince, and I swear practiced Prince faces in the mirror before the big night, he looked exactly like him! My friend Susie went as Cindy Lauper (she is the one I made my tutu with!) and Frank and Chrissy were Brett Michaels and Gloria Estevan! Everyone who is anyone (and I would say there were 60+ people there) dressed up, you were the odd one out if you didn't! We were the talk of the bowling alley! This was a great idea for a party and we had so much fun! Thank you Brian for being so crazy and coming up with this idea! Happy Birthday!

Bowling with 3 year olds...and some cute little girls!

Nice form boys!!!

After one got done throwing the ball down the lane, they met up and watched the ball together...waiting to celebrate when the pins fell!

The girls cheered on their big brothers, they were both so good!

Today we met my friend Kristen and her two kiddos so that our boys could go bowling! Kyan's friend Gianni is a couple of months younger than him and play so well together! Boy, did they have a blast today!?! They were so excited to hit even just one pin and celebrated together! We shared a pizza and played in the little arcade before we left! I thought I was getting out of there without Kyan throwing a fit...but I should know better than to hold my breath! Not s0 lucky...lets just say the car ride and about the first 20 minutes home were a nightmare!!! After he calmed down, I rocked him to sleep (something I rarely get to do now with Lola here, we got some much needed snuggle time between us!) Hopefully nap time will take a little longer than usual today since he was so worked up!

From the recipe files of Rae Lynn Durham

So my sister-in-law can make the BEST food! I asked her to send me the recipe for her enchiladas because they are SO good! Thought I would share with everyone, just in case you are feeling adventurous and want to try something new! Anyone with a good recipe, please send my way!!!

1 Large Can Mild Green Enchilada Sauce
4-5 Chicken Breasts
1 Medium Onion, Diced
2-3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Place in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer all these ingredients together over medium low heat for 2-3 hours until chicken pulls apart very easily. Remove chicken from sauce and set aside to cool. Increase heat and simmer sauce to thicken, if needed. Remove from heat and stir in:

1 Can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Pint of Sour Cream

Pull apart cooled chicken and add chicken to sauce. Heat 1 package of "soft taco" size flour tortillas in microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Place 1 tortilla on a plate and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Spread a layer of the chicken mixture over the cheese, and roll tortilla. Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake enchiladas "naked" at 350 for 7-10 minutes, or until tortillas are browned slightly. Remove from oven and cover with red enchilada sauce and more cheddar cheese. Place back in the oven and back until sauce and cheese is bubbly in the center. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Shopping List:
1 Large can mild green enchilada sauce
1 small or large can red traditional enchilada sauce
4-5 chicken breasts
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 package "soft taco" size flour tortillas
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Ground cumin (buy it in packets on the Mexican food isle. It's cheaper)

i...

i am: jennifer ashley roseland
i know: how to make some pretty good chocolate chip cookies
i want: my hair to be longer, but i just can't get past that one stage
i have: two beautiful children, kyan and lola, and an amazing husband, chad
i wish: my wedding ring would fit
i hate: cleaning
i miss: applesauce doughnuts and taco pizza from wahoo, nebraska
i fear: that i left the garage door open, and i have to drive back to check...happens more often than you think
i feel: excited that the school year is about to start
i hear: otis....talking about milo
i smell: fresh pineapple plug ins from bath and body works
i crave: ah-so or ichiban all the time
i search: for lola's formula on craiglist, it is so expensive
i wonder: what my children will look like as they get older
i regret: not going to the gym that much this summer
i love: my family
i care: about the future of not only my children, but the children i teach
i always: wear make-up
i am not: a good dancer, but wish i was, i love those dancing shows
i believe: that all kids are capable of success, no matter what
i dance: the bootie dance, only with kyan
i sing: all the time with my kids, and when no one is listening in my car
i don’t always: go to church, my parents wish i did, but i don't
i fight: because i am stubborn
i write: on my blog almost every day
i lose: my keys all the time
i win: not very often...kyan has to win all the time or his feelings get hurt
i never: want to try new foods, but chad convinces me
i listen: all kinds of music
i am scared: that someone is in our house when i get up with lola at night sometimes
i need: to have more time to read all of the books that i want to read
i am happy about: having such a great summer with the kids, we have been busy
i tag: brianna, leah, camille, susie, and jefferis

Two Crafty Mamas...

Playing with Jayla's new jumpy toy so mommy can make our tutu's!

What started out as this...

....turned into this! What a cute little princess!

Kyan is showing off Susie's tutu...

...and mommies!

Today we went over to Susie's house to make our tutu's for the 80's party we will be rocking out to on Friday (Happy 30th B)! Who knew that you could make your own tutu?!?! It is really inexpensive and pretty easy! But we didn't want to just make tutu's for ourselves, if we had to make them for us then we might as well make the girls ones too! They turned out SOOOOOOOOO adorable! Lola sported hers like a champ! Kyan even wanted in on the action and had fun playing around and modeling off my tutu and Susie's! Jayla was feeling a little under the weather so pictures of the girls together will be coming later! Until then, enjoy these!

Our Day at the Lake

Where we camped out for the morning

Finding that special rock to skip stones in the water!

Kyan's new friends...the duck ladies! They loved his Cheetos!
Nap time!!!

Ok...I will be the first to admit that I really didn't want to go to Lake Pleasant today, but needless to say, I had a blast, along with my family! I thought that I was going to be the paranoid mama who wouldn't let her kid do anything, including riding on grandpa's jet ski, even though we got a special life jacket. I was so proud of Kyan for taking a ride with daddy! Kyan enjoyed throwing and skipping rocks the most! Towards the end of our morning there we even got a friendly visit from the ducks who munched on Kyan's Cheetos. It was such a long day and we are all pooped! Lola and daddy snuck in a little cat nap when we got home.

The Finished Tree

So the whole process took only three days, but with as busy as Lily is this summer, it actually took a total of three weeks to complete Lola's tree! It turned out perfect! Her room only needs a couple more things and it will be finished! Thanks Lily and Hahna for your hard work!

Belly Laughs

Kyan is the only true person that can make Lola belly laugh. Chad and I can get her giggling pretty good, but Kyan has the ability to make her laugh until we have to stop him because Lola can't breathe she is laughing so hard! Yesterday he discovered that moving little plastic pieces on her bouncer really fast, makes her laugh hysterically! She just stares at him and LAUGHS and LAUGHS! It is the cutest thing!

An afternoon by the pool!

Today we went swimming at Susie and Jearel's house! Camille and Brandon joined the party too! It was Jayla's first time in the pool, so who better to show her the ropes than Lola! Kyan loved going under the water today more than usual! We had a great time, the food was delicious, and we made it home before the storm got too bad!